Rides bikes, paddles sea kayaks, takes pictures. Life on the road & my home in Cornwall.
Bimbling… again
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Rediscovering the point of a two-wheeled bimble with a camera... it's not the pictures.
A couple on foot stopped me on the path yesterday to ask “what are you taking pictures of?”.. I struggled to give a coherent answer and it was only after a pleasant conversation in the drizzle that chose that moment to sweep in off the ocean that I realised exactly what I’d been trying to articulate. I wasn’t really taking pictures of anything in particular, the point of having a camera with me was simply that it forced me slow down and pay more attention to my surroundings, the roll of the seasons, the weather etc, than I might otherwise have one. It was a strategy I found very helpful during the various Covid lockdowns, but recently, feeling constrained by time, state of mind, and indirectly by habits that historically tended towards “getting the miles in” training (for racing or just fitness) rather than just riding, and simple familiarity (contempt almost) for my regular ride surroundings, I had stopped taking a camera.
the point is not the picture, it’s the opportunity a camera creates to stop, poke around, enjoy random conversations and generally bimble rather than hammer…
Yesterday with the weather still unsettled from a period of gales and heavy rain (the Cornish summer has returned to a reassuring normality…) the prospect of a day made more interesting by a lack of plain blue skies prompted me to stuff a camera in my bag, and I rediscovered some of that ride satisfaction that had been missing of late. I had also stopped photographing while riding because of a perceived sense of pointlessness around photographing the same old trails, the same old scenery.. after all it’s not the street photography I enjoy the most; it took yesterday to remind myself that the point is not the picture, it’s the opportunity a camera creates to stop, poke around, enjoy random conversations and generally bimble rather than hammer, and to have a few snaps to create some sort of narrative around rather than working, which my apparently burned out braincells are struggling with today. It doesn’t matter that the results are not “portfolio worthy”, it’s really just an exercise in being present.
This is the old pump engine house of the Great Work Mine near Godolphin Hill. I have ridden past it countless times but never stopped for a poke around. Hardly visible from the road, buried in the Cornish Jungle as it is, on a warm and humid day in high summer it very much had the feel of an ancient temple lost in the jungles of what was Mesoamerica. The first mine here opened in 1538 but of course the steam pump engine house dates to a much more recent period when production shifted from surface and shallow pit exploitation to deeper shafts after 1816. The mine closed in 1930. As an aside the chimney stack is just out of picture to the left. I have a pic of that too but liked this one better.
It wasn’t a long ride, around 45 miles, but feeling tired I didn’t want to do more, and that initially was the motivation for taking a camera.. a “reason” to rediscover the pleasure of slowing right down and bimbling again. Kind of sad that I needed one but these are the traps we set ourself I guess.
Another mine.. this is the more well-known Wheal Prosper at Rinsey Head. The mine was only in operation for 6 years from 1860 to 1866, and because of its high state of preservation I don’t find it quite so interesting. Rinsey Head itself however is another matter – a stunningly beautiful, and often overlooked spot.The house at Rinsey Head. It was built between the wars by a London stockbroker (of course) as a holiday home (of course). These days it is a holiday let.. of course.Loe Bar… a familiar spot and a good place to escape crowds even in mid-summer. It is a walk to the nearest car park so of course is overlooked by the majority.The sea holly is in bloom. I love this stuff.. in the winter there’s not a trace of it, by early summer the prickly plants are poking through the dunes all along the coast. It produces a flower in a delicate shade of purple.Also Loe Bar. It’s a deadly dangerous spot for a dip, but people still do, and still get into trouble, or worse. Despite abundant signage I see people going in the water from time to time during the holiday season {mutters something about Darminism…}The bridlepath between Porthleven and Loe Bar is relatively new. It was put in 3 or 4 years ago when the coast path crumbled away to nothing. It’s not as interesting a ride as the old path but I’m grateful for it. I’m sure there was plenty of “what a waste of money” opposition from the crowd that would would prefer the world be concreted over with more roads and carparks.This path runs from near the village of Cury down to Gunwalloe Church Cove.. I tend not to use it much as if heading along the coast here, the path from the cove over the headland between it and Poldhu is more fun, but I was on skinny tyres so this one made more sense on a rainy day.. the alternative is steep and slippery in the wet. The sea was still stormy from the severe gales of the previous day.Pastoral views looking west from the high ground near Black Rock.An imminent watering.
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8 thoughts on “Bimbling… again”
Beautiful purple thistles. I went yesterday to a new winery for me, and their logo is a thistle inspired on the ones they find in between the vines (https://roda.es/en/bodegas-roda/about-roda). In the Basque Country we call “eguzkilore” (sun flower) to the wild big thistles, and are placed on our doors to prevent bad spirits. Nice pics as always.
Nice to see you back, Mike! I love bringing a camera or two along with me on a ride. I like the process of photography and how it helps me to slow down. True, not all photos on a ride are winners, but even the bad ones will bring you back to the moment that you shot it.
I don’t know if I’ll ever use the term “bimble” as to my American ears it sounds too close to “bumble”. I’ll just keep on calling them rambles instead! ;-)
Hello Mike, I was on summer vacation in Carinthia Austria for 3 weeks now and I had my Surly Cross Check with a “Jack the Rack” with me. To test an M6 Classic and an expired Fuji Acros. Like you, it was a lot of fun, although some climbs were over 20% and I pushed a lot. Please continue with your Rosamunde Pilcher scenery. Thank you Thomas Vienna
Hey, thanks for writing, your trip sounds great. I’m away for a few days riding trails with friends so hopefully more to ramble on about next week:-)
Beautiful purple thistles. I went yesterday to a new winery for me, and their logo is a thistle inspired on the ones they find in between the vines (https://roda.es/en/bodegas-roda/about-roda). In the Basque Country we call “eguzkilore” (sun flower) to the wild big thistles, and are placed on our doors to prevent bad spirits. Nice pics as always.
don’t know if you
oh lovely! Someone told me about eguzkilore, I can’t remember if it was you or perhaps Rubén…
Taking a camera with me wouldn’t force me to slow down and bimble (love the verb); I would speed along as always, just with extra weight… :-(
hahaha :-) ¿Hay un verbo similar en español? “to bimble..”
Nice to see you back, Mike! I love bringing a camera or two along with me on a ride. I like the process of photography and how it helps me to slow down. True, not all photos on a ride are winners, but even the bad ones will bring you back to the moment that you shot it.
I don’t know if I’ll ever use the term “bimble” as to my American ears it sounds too close to “bumble”. I’ll just keep on calling them rambles instead! ;-)
cheers! not the most interesting of returns perhaps but a way to grow some inspiration :-)
Hello Mike, I was on summer vacation in Carinthia Austria for 3 weeks now and I had my Surly Cross Check with a “Jack the Rack” with me. To test an M6 Classic and an expired Fuji Acros. Like you, it was a lot of fun, although some climbs were over 20% and I pushed a lot. Please continue with your Rosamunde Pilcher scenery. Thank you Thomas Vienna
Hey, thanks for writing, your trip sounds great. I’m away for a few days riding trails with friends so hopefully more to ramble on about next week:-)